Bill > HR8616

This bill, titled the "Caja del Rio Protection Act," establishes two new protected areas in New Mexico: the Caja del Rio Special Management Area (SMA), encompassing approximately 67,163 acres of federal land in the Santa Fe National Forest, and the Caja del Rio National Conservation Area (NCA), covering about 17,837 acres of Bureau of Land Management land. Both areas are designated to conserve and protect their cultural, spiritual, scenic, ecological, and traditional values, with a specific emphasis on enhancing opportunities for interested Indian Tribes to participate in their preservation and management. The bill outlines management responsibilities for the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior, requiring comprehensive management plans developed in coordination with various agencies, local governments, and in consultation with interested Indian Tribes, ensuring Indigenous knowledge is incorporated. It also addresses travel management by limiting motorized vehicle use to designated roads and mandates the decommissioning of unauthorized roads. The act allows for land exchanges to consolidate federal ownership within the NCA and includes provisions for protecting tribal rights, cultural uses, and traditional gathering of plants and minerals, while also clarifying that it does not affect existing water rights or tribal jurisdiction. Furthermore, it withdraws federal land within these areas from mining and mineral leasing, and prohibits new permanent road construction except under specific circumstances.